Morning Wolf
by 0RamblingRose0
Summary: While on a journey of self discovery, Remus Lupin finds himself in danger in America then finds salvation in a most unlikely place. Newly Revised and updated Dec 10 2005.
1. Chapter One

Title: Morning Wolf  
Author: LupinLovesTonks  
Rated: PG-13 (for now)  
Disclaimer: There was this one time, in my dreams, that I owned everything JK did. Unfortunately that was just a dream. So are the millions of dollars I make on writing this fic.  
Summary: While on a journey to find himself, Remus Lupin finds himself in danger in America then finds salvation in a most unlikely place.  
Pairing: RLOC  
AN: **There's some revamping going on, so far each chapter has been tweaked and fixed to the point that it is the story I intended it to be**. Subtle differences you may notice: The Wolf refers to the full moon as his Goddess, a source of release and Remus refers to the full moon as a curse... Back-story emerges, I am making things a little more clear so everyone's not reading and going "when did that happen?" There will be more detail about Morning Wolf's past, Remus' past, pretty much everyone's past... And The White Wolf gets to play a more active role, as does The Wolf Maiden... And, surprisingly, so do the wolves that are supposed to be on the reservation.  
And, as always, my idea of editting a fic for posting is -- spell check/ grammer check --. Please don't let any grammical errors and such get in the way. I know they're most likely there but, I have no editor so I can't effectively get all that stuff caught. so forgive me ;)

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Chapter One  
_February 1982_-

* * *

It had all began as a sabbatical for his spiritual well being after losing all his friends in a mere matter of hours. He'd been through England, Scotland, Ireland, most of the European countries, a few African countries, before managing passage onto a ship for Brazil. From Brazil, he'd travelled through various South American countries, Central America, Mexico, and finally into United States.

He'd met many people; all had made a lasting impression in his heart and mind. Some he'd prefer to forget, others he'd hoped he never would. He'd learned things from every person he'd come across. From tribes of African natives to the Dogmen of Mexico, all had their own special brand of magic, which he had been all too eager to learn about.

Dumbledore had been the one to encourage the journey and had even financed it. In addition to his travelling cloak and other travelling clothes, he wore a simple leather pouch, bewitched with an anti-breaking charm.

The pouch provided him with whatever he needed to make it on his path of self-discovery. It always provided the amount and currency he required for food, trinkets, and sleeping places. Once, he could have sworn the pouch had somehow supplied him with a "Swahili/English" dictionary in his sleep, while working his way through Africa. But, he'd never been able to prove it, so just concluded he'd conjured it by accident.

It hadn't been until he crossed into United States that he felt as if he were being hunted. Perhaps it had been his wolf, only days away from being released that had sensed the men following him at a distance. It hadn't been until the full moon had forced him to change, that he truly felt threatened by the hunters, which had been following him since he'd stopped for a bite to eat outside of El Paso.

He had sensed their suspicion. Even though, at first, he'd wanted to be naive and think them only as wolf hunters, the silver bullets they had shot at him had quickly dispersed _that_ idea, no matter how naive he wanted to be. It was this pack of hunters' goal in life to rid the world of all werewolves. And he was nothing more than another pelt to them. They didn't care to know that he was nothing more than a harmless, heart-broken wizard on ever other night of the month.

His feet were growing weary as he fled through the forests. His wolf senses could still hear footsteps of the hunters behind him. At first he hadn't seen them as a threat, seeing them as merely a couple of the wolf hunters he'd heard that had started plaguing America. But both him and the wolf had realized, when the first bullet barely grazed his cheek, they were not mere wolf hunters.

It had been a mutual agreement between wolf and man to not chance the odds of one werewolf against a pack of werewolf hunters. So, he'd fled as fast as his paws could take him. His wolfish cheek was burning where the bullet had grazed his flesh. He yelped painfully as one of the bullets went through his frail leg, just as he broke out of the forest and onto the long highway.

_Finally, he was safe_. They wouldn't dare follow after him into the open, where they could get caught by game wardens for hunting what appeared to be a common grey wolf. He'd been right to assume they wouldn't risk the exposure of the magical world for the head of a werewolf.

The moon was still high and clear in the sky. Full and perfectly rounded like the curse it was on his human soul. The wolf refused to curse the moon back. Besides, the wolf loved the moon in all her round, beauteous, glory. Her white rays washed down on him, soothing his ageing soul.

A soft whimper came from his throat as he hobbled along the highway. He looked back and almost wanted to shudder as he saw that the bullet had gone through his hind leg. He had to look a sight to anyone that might have seen him. His was quickly becoming a bloody, battered mess from all the blood his leg and a gash in his side was oozing out. The wolf was ashamed of himself for showing himself to his Goddess in the state he was in. He felt so weak before her watchful eye, but he did not want to grovel and beg for mercy. If she wanted him saved, she would save him.

A pair of bright lights over took his vision, just before he finally succumbed to exhaustion and collapsed on the side of the highway. Perhaps his Goddess wished him dead and was abandoning him and allowing this coming auto to forever put him from his pain.

He heard the car stop and its door opened, followed by the sound of rapidly approaching feet. His wolf senses took in the smell of a human and he gave a growl, warning her to keep away from the dying wolf. _Why didn't you run me over? I am in so much pain and you deny me release! Dear Goddess that rules my soul why do you forsake me?_

He inhaled again and suddenly that of a wolf replaced the scent. He opened his eyes and saw a woman kneeling down beside him. The wolf was confused, it saw a woman but smelt a wolf. He growled again, a little deeper this time in hopes she would know he was serious. Suddenly, behind her, a white wolf looked around at him.

_Be still_, the white wolf whispered to him as she touched her nose to his ear.

_My Goddess saves me,_ the wolf thought with relief. _She has not forsaken me after all._ His amber eyes gazed into the calm blue ones of the white wolf. Her eyes glowed like the silvery blue depths, like the round goddess that always released him from the confines of a mortal body every month.

"I can save you. Please allow me to help you," the woman whispered, fearlessly reaching out to stroke his gleaming coat.

_She can save you, Remus_, the white wolf said, nudging her nose under his chin. _She will let you rest for a while and care for you._

The wolf then knew who the white wolf was. His Goddess had come to save him; she had brought him a healer that would restore him to his full health again. Even though his first instinct was to devour the woman in order to gain his health, he knew this would be impossible in his weakness.

Yes, first he would let the Healer his wolf goddess had sent to him do her task, then, he would feed upon her to absorb her healing magic. Heal for now, feed later.

_She is not yours to devour child_, the white wolf growled. _Should you harm her, the white rays that cleanse you and renew you shall become your torment._

The wolf decided to keep to his Goddess' order not to harm the woman. Somewhere in the deepest recesses of the wolf's mind, a man was beginning to slowly stir. In a few hours' time he would be taking over the wolf and the wolf would loose contact with his beautiful round goddess. And there would be another month or torment for the wolf, torment of being cursed by the other moon phases, unable to call out to his fading goddess in the sky. But they would be reunited again.

As ruthless as the man tried to make him seem, the wolf was patient and was ready and willing to spend the next month locked away like a prisoner. All that the wolf wanted was to howl his blessings up to Goddess like a good wolf. He hadn't really let himself ever desire to feed upon the flesh of humans since his friends had left him. They had taught him there were much more interesting things to eat than small children.

Where _had_ they gone, the wolf wondered -- that boisterous stag, that playful black canine that was nearly as massive as he was, that helpful little rat that they loved to roll back and forth on the floor of that old house -- The ones that he had spent so much time with?

The man hadn't mentioned them for several months. Perhaps the man was being ruthless to him and denying him his companions. Why did the man want to punish him so? The wolf felt cursed, cursed and stuck within the body of a mortal that had no idea what he really was.

_Give us time_, the white wolf said gently. _We know how to get him to like you again. You just wait my little cub._

The wolf felt his senses being overtaken by a fragrance that calmed him rapidly. He felt as if he were floating and then lain upon the warmth of the Wolf Goddess' arms. He opened his eyes slightly and gazed at the cool blue eyes of the white wolf, which lie beside him, before slipping into unconsciousness.

888

Remus awoke with a start. It felt as if his flesh were on fire. His eyes rolled back in his head as he breath began catching in his throat. James and Lily needed his help, he could hear them calling from somewhere far away. They were screaming, "It's the rat! The rat, Remus! Help us! Save us from the rat!"

He had run as fast as he could. Even though he had seen the mark appear, he had run anyway. Maybe if he got there in time he could capture the monster that had killed them. When he got there, Sirius had arrived only moments earlier and was cradling a tiny bundle in his arms.

"Go get Dumbledore!" Sirius barked, causing the bundle to begin crying.

"TRAITOR!" Remus screamed out in his delirium. But the images before him had faded again and he could no longer avenge his friends. He was panting heavily as he fell back to lying down. "You betrayed us all, Sirius," he murmured as he heard a door being flung open.

He heard a voice bark out an order in a language he couldn't understand. He bellowed in aggravation, in pain, and in fury. But a figure was now standing over him, surrounded by an intense golden light. The golden rays made the dark hair look like it was...

"Lily! Sirius betrayed you! He betrayed you and James! He's killed Peter too!" he cried. "Dumbledore sent Harry away with your sister! He betrayed you; he betrayed all of us... All of us Lily..."

He felt a warm hand on his chest and he was pushed to lying down once again, unaware that he'd sat up to scream out how Sirius had betrayed them. His eyes rolled back again as he felt more hands on him, on his arms, his chest, and his head. Several voices had begun to softly chant, and a bitter scent seemed to invade his senses.

"He's dreaming of evils," the voice for only moments ago whispered. "We need some catchers, three large ones. His flesh burns like fire; the infection wants to devour him. We must hurry!"

The bitter scent had invaded his nostrils again and he faded away into the solitude of darkness.


	2. Chapter Two

Title: Morning Wolf  
Author: LupinLovesTonks  
Rated: PG-13 (for now)  
Disclaimer: There was this one time, in my dreams, that I owned everything JK did. Unfortunately that was just a dream. So are the millions of dollars I make on writing this fic.  
Summary: While on a journey to find himself, Remus Lupin finds himself in danger in America then finds salvation in a most unlikely place.

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Chapter Two

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The wolf was running again, the same desperation was once again coursing through his veins. Last time it had been wolf hunters, this time it was something much worse he was trying to escape from. It was Death, trying to come and claim him. No, he would run from it. He was faster in wolf form so he'd be able to do it. So he ran. He continued running even though the wolf felt about ready to collapse from lack of breath.

A lake lie ahead of him. Maybe if he jumped into it, he could leave Death behind on the shoreline. Without a moment of hesitation, he crouched and leapt as far out into the lake as he could and started paddling for the other side. His muscles began tensing, yet he continued swimming. If he stopped now, he would drown.

Then he saw her, the white wolf standing within a beam of the full moon's light. If anyone could help him, she would. He began struggling more. He had to make it to her because she would be able to save him.

A boned hand grasped his hind leg and snatched him under the icy waters. The sound of a rattle resonated around him as he struggled to free his leg from the hand of Death. He could no longer see the glow of the moon through the water. His beautiful Goddess was fading from his sight as they sank deeper and deeper. The rattling became more frantic, somewhere in the deep background; he could hear a soft voice chanting in a language he'd never heard before. This was punctuated by the sound of a long, soul-piercing howl.

He was beginning to feel hotter with sudden, short, flashes of cold ripping through him at random moments. The long slow howl filled the air again and suddenly he found himself with the strength to kick his hind leg out of Death's grip and slowly floated back toward the surface.

He simply lie there limply, his wolf body slowly whirling around as it rose toward the surface. The part of his mind that was a man wondered how he hadn't yet drowned. When he could see the shimmer of the full moon again, he began paddling his front paws. He was almost there. In just a matter of moments, he would be able to find the she-wolf that had given howl. He would answer her call. His Goddess could pull him from death so he would honour her by replying.

He was getting so close to the surface. Finally, the tip of his snout broke the surface. As soon as he had reached the surface, he opened his mouth for a deep breath...

Remus J. Lupin sat up, giving a long deep howl. He stopped suddenly and looked around in shock.

He ran his hands over his chest and face, panting wildly to recuperate from the shortness of breath from being beneath the water for so long. He opened and closed his eyes several times before realizing he wasn't outside. In fact, it wasn't even nighttime, it was dawn.

"Good morning and welcome back to the mortal plains."

His ears perked. He knew that voice. Somehow he knew that strong, feminine voice. He turned slightly toward the source of the voice, which was now behind him, and studied it with curiosity. He knew that face, but from where? How had he gotten to this place? _Where_ was this place?

The woman was kneeling next to where a pillow lay; he only guessed that his head had been lying upon it before coming to. She was clad in a deerskin, hooded-cloak with the hood off her head. Long, black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, garlanded with small leather thongs and feathers, bringing attention to her squared jaw line and angular face. Small spider web earrings dangled from her earlobes. Her thin neck was decorated with a choker made of several sets of long turquoise beads and pewter charm of a wolf at the centre of her throat.

"Rest, Man Wolf," she said firmly. "Your journey has been hard. So rest." She placed a hand on his shoulder and chest and guided him back to laying on the pallet he was on.

"Wh – Where am I?" Remus asked, panting for breath.

"Safe," she replied simply. "We will talk after you have rested. You changed again last night so I know you must be exhausted." He looked up at her forlornly. "Do not worry. I am a healer. A shaman. You're lucky to be alive. If I hadn't been giving you the potion, the change may have killed you."

"Wh – What potion?" he choked and then swallowed hard.

"Rest," she repeated, her voice was a bit softer this time. "We can talk later."

"T- to... To who-whom do I owe m-m-my..." he inhaled several times with difficulty "… my gratitude?"

She smiled gently and wiped the sweat from his face with a damp cloth that held the scent of a pleasant aroma. "My name is Morning Wolf. Rest, Man Wolf."

"Remus. Name... is... Remus. Not Man Wol – woof," he managed, just before the aroma put him back to sleep. And this time is was a dreamless sleep.

888

It was several more hours before Remus actually woke up. A dog was barking somewhere outside the small room he was in. From where he was laying, he let his eyes wander around the room. Several bundles of fresh herbs where hanging from the ceiling by small strings. The sun-bleached skull of a long horned steer was on one wall; a deer carcass had been fashioned into a window covering.

Above his head were four, good-sized, rings with string making a web through the centres. Leather thongs hung from the bottom of each hand made web, each thong bore several beads and feathers. His eyes drifted down to the bedding he was on. A thin mat covered with several blankets and a small pillow. Next to his pallet was a set of neatly folded clothes. A note lie on top.

With a groan of pain, he forced himself to sit up. He took the note and read the delicate, loopy words:

_Join us when you get dressed. Don't let the baby bother you too much she just likes attention. Her name is Cookie._

_Morning Wolf_

Remus slowly forced his aching muscles to move, in order for him to perform the task of getting dressed. They were a few sizes too large, but he didn't mind. He slowly pulled himself to his feet but shortly had to limp over to a chair to sit down and continue the task.

He limped across the room to the door. There he saw another note, this one in very small and hard to read letters:

_We left you a cane to help you get around while your leg finishes healing._

_Moon Wolf_

Remus took the "cane." It was really, more of a long staff than anything. It was about as thick as his wrist. It was made out of stripped wood, decorated with several symbols along its knobby length, and topped with a carving of a wolf head. At first Remus was put back by its height, but after a few steps was very grateful that it was tall enough and sturdy enough to support him with his injured leg. He was practically leaning upon the staff by time he opened the door.

The world outside of the little room was more what he would have expected a home to look like. It was a far cry different than the herb filled room he had just left. The entire feel of the house was very earthy and somewhat tribal. Almost everywhere he looked there was some sort of woven blanket or one of those web things he'd seen in the herb filled room. The furniture, however looked very overstuffed and was seemingly the only modern things inside of the house.

A desk with several papers and magazines, a short table with a wild array of flowers at the middle of it, lush red and orange chairs and a sofa... And several pictures of Old Indian Chiefs. An old Indian man in picture looked at him and chuckled before elbowing his partner and pointing. The two pictures began conversing in another language. By time Remus managed to limp his way over to the stuffed sofa, all the little Indian Chiefs had made their way to a larger picture full of several Indians, male and female, and were practically squishing the subjects of the picture in between their massive headdresses.

Remus' head was swimming and little white spots were dotting in front of his eyes from the pain in his injured leg. He bit down hard on his bottom lip and grasped his leg, just above his knee, as tightly as he could. He fell over side ways to lie on the sofa and tried his damnedest not to cry out in pain. After a moment the pain passed and he just lie there, panting to catch his breath.

"Oh god," he said weakly. He closed his eyes tightly and took in a deep breath to finally recapture his breath. He felt a tug on the ankle of his pants and slowly looked at where his feet were dangling off the side of the sofa. A frizzy little puppy was tugging on the cuff of the pants. It jumped back and gave a playful yap before turning and scurrying toward a side door.

It came running back in, sliding to a stop excitedly and barking up at him. At first Remus wanted to be annoyed and give it swift kick but, then he felt a tug at his heart when he saw the young creature sported only a stump for one of it's back legs.

"Cookie?" a female voice called from the room the pup had ran into and ran back out of. "I told you to keep quiet so our guest could sleep."

The little pup ran back into the other room yapping excitedly, it darted back into the room with him and sat at his feet wagging it's tail as it looked up at him with bright blue eyes. The small pup sat down and let it's head back to give a small sound he supposed was meant to be a howl.

"Cookie! What did I – Oh, hello."

Remus bowed his head slightly when the woman entered. It was the same woman that had given him the sleeping draught earlier. She had removed the bulky cloak and was now wearing dirty jeans, a tied up flannel shirt, and dirty western boots. There was a long whip around her waist with its handle stuck in her side pocket.

"Cookie is a very high spirited pup, you must be proud," he commented, reaching down and scooping it into his arms.

"Cub."

"Pardon?"

"Cookie is not a dog. She is a wolf," the woman explained. She walked over to him and took the cub from him with a bright smile on her face. "You're one of the sweetest additions to the pack yet aren't you Cookie?" She made a slight kiss sound and the cub touched its black nose to her nose for a moment before covering the woman's face with a tongue bath. She roughed the cub's coat before setting it back to the floor. "Until you arrived, she had the most interesting story, in the history of my services. Unfortunately, I don't think any wolf that I have rescued has ever turned into a man before. You must be hungry, come eat. My grandfather and I were just about to have us a bite."

He took the hand she offered him and slowly allowed her help him get to the room she had come from. It was a small, but cozy little kitchen. A small man sitting at the table raised his hand in greeting and muttered something that Remus couldn't understand.

"He says 'Good afternoon, Man Wolf'," the woman supplied. "And that his name is Withering Bear, mine is Morning Wolf. I tried telling him that your name was Remus but he prefers to call you Man Wolf until the Great Spirit blesses you with a new name. He doesn't give much care for English names."

She set a plate in front of each other them and said something to the hunched, elderly man with a warning tone. The man just eyed the mush on his plate and grumbled. "I heard that Grandfather. And I mean it. _Eat_ or I will tell the doctor," she said calmly, as she took her seat again.

"So he understands English?" Remus asked.

"He can speak it when he wants," the woman replied with an affectionate smile at the old man. "Just responds better to the Cherokee language." Withering Bear just grumbled and spooned at the mush on his plate. "Do you have any questions Man Wolf?"

"Please. Do not call me Man Wolf," Remus said quietly. "I have never much liked the idea of being a werewolf."

"Man Wolf is a name of honour," the woman said lightly. "It means you are a man with the spirit of a wolf. It means nothing to your lycanthropy. Grandfather simply knows what he saw. And he saw a wolf become a man then saw the man turn back into a wolf when the moon was full. You should be honoured the Great Spirit gave you the gift. The Windego Warriors from the ancient times – what?"

"It wasn't a gift. It was a curse," Remus said rigidly. "You obviously do not know much about werewolves if you think of it as a gift. Maybe in ancient times it was seen as a gift, but when you're a child bitten out of spite by someone that abuses their lycanthropy – A werewolf that hunts down children of people that he feel wronged him – you never see it as a gift."

"It depends on your perspective," the woman replied calmly. "Besides, you get good wolves and bad one. It varies just as people do. If he was an evil man, he will be an evil wolf."

Withering Bear mumbled something and made some elaborate gestures with his hands. Morning Wolf smiled gently and translated, "The doctor told him his heart was weak, that he needed to stop attending the pow-wows on the reservations because of the strain they put on his heart. They gave him six months if he did not stop. That was ten years ago." The old man's face grew grim and growled one last bit. Morning Wolf seemed to be fighting the urge to give a laugh. "And just because some idiot white man tells you that you are cursed doesn't mean you are, as long as you find the blessing within it. In his case, it made him only more eager to serve The Great Spirit." She looked at the old man then at Remus. "He gives you three more months before you change your thinking."

"How long have I been here?" Remus asked.

"A month yesterday," she replied. "The shot to your leg nearly cost you your life. It took many many tries to finally get the infection and allergies from the bullets to subside. You gave us all a big fright. One of my students in general, though, than the others. We brought you in while the moon was still full as a wolf and then she came in to check on you an hour later and you were a man. It caught us all by surprise."

"I was planning to be in Canada by spring. So, I doubt I will even be here for three more months."

"This reservation is a haven for sick and weak wolves to recuperate. I never let a patient go if they are too weak to survive. So you will only leave when I say you are able. We will start with a walk around the outside of the house. After that I may be able to give an estimate on how long it will take you to be free to go."

"In case you haven't noticed, I am not a wolf," Remus felt the hairs on the back of his neck begin to prickle defensively.

"Unfortunately, it is my duty to ensure the survival of the wolf," she said simply. "More so, unfortunately, is the fact you and the wolf are one. As much as you wish to hate that part of your self, it is my duty to make sure it is once again strong."

The old man muttered something and pointed out the window.

"He has a good point _Remus_. I have a few students outside that will be requiring my help for their daily lessons. Since you may end up being here for a while, it is only prudent you should learn their faces."

"Students?" Remus asked with interest.

"Yes, 'students'. Just a handful of the children from the reservations that showed magical ability and their parents refused to let them go learn silly wand tricks and pointless incantations. They wanted them to learn the true magic of their ancestors and the academies rarely take time to teach Shamanism because they think it is outdated. My grandfather is too old to teach --" the old man grumbled when she said this "--I apologize, he does not _possess certain qualities_ that would allow him to adequately show the children how to do things, so they send them to me."

"I beg your pardon, but, I was taught more than _silly wand tricks_ and _pointless incantations_," Remus snapped. "And I consider what I learnt to be 'true magic'."

"But did you learn anything of he ancient magic which gave birth to your brand of magic?" Morning Wolf asked pointedly. Remus stared at her in a stony manner. "I didn't think so. My children know the ancient arts and they know about the more modern things. If they wish to learn more of it, I wouldn't do anything to stop them, and nor do I discourage it. It's just ancient magic is stronger than anything... even death."

Remus closed his eyes tightly. He could hear Dumbledore's voice in the back of his mind, telling him how Lily had evoked an ancient magic to save Harry's life. When he opened his eyes and looked at Morning Wolf, she had a look that held something that resembled sadness in her eyes as she gazed at him. Remus just lowered his eyes to his plate and began to eat.

888

He grabbed a hold of Morning Wolf's arm as he started wheezing from the pain searing through his body. It had originated in his leg and shot upward from there. She carefully guided him to sitting on the bottom step of the porch. "You wanted to be in Canada when?" she asked, he knew very well she was mocking him. "This is most unacceptable. Not even to the actual yards yet and you have to sit from pain. At least with the cane, you can take your weight off the leg when you need to. It will probably be a few more weeks before you can walk on it without the cane..."

"I'm always like this the day after the full moon," he snapped. It was the pain causing him to be so short with her, he supposed. Either that or the way she fussed over him like he was a stubborn child wanting to get his way. He hated when people fussed over him like a sick child, the day after a transformation. "It always takes me a few days to recuperate from the change."

"So it causes you pain, then. To change?" she asked, cocking her head slightly as she looked down at him.

"Yes, it does. As I said, it's not something I _want_ to happen. I have no choice. I see the full moon I change, very much against my will," Remus explained.

"Have you ever considered accepting your fate, embracing it, and treasuring it? Perhaps then it would not be as painful. Typical wolves are only vicious if they are threatened. Perhaps your wolf feels the man threatens it so it wishes nothing more than to cause you pain, since it knows killing you would kill it as well." She pushed up the pants leg of the injured leg and crouched down to observe it closely. "Perhaps if you wasn't being so stubborn you would treasure it." She dropped the pants leg back down and stood up from her crouched position. "The bone was shattered, so I had to use magic to mend it to an extent. You get stronger bones by letting them mend naturally."

"It's hard to treasure something you hate more than anything," Remus said quietly. His eyes went to a small fenced in pin where about three wolves were laying on their backs. He wondered what sort of ailments had landed the poor beasts in such a close pin.

Morning Wolf smiled gently. "It is sometimes the things we hate most, that we should treasure, Remus. The things we hate are what make us weak. Our weaknesses are what end up making us stronger people." She looked out across to a tree line in the distance. "I had to learn that once. Only once. Only then could I adequately be the healer I am today."

"Are you saying I'm not an adequate wizard?"

"Yes and no. You may have ability well enough," Morning Wolf explained. She placed her hand to the dirt at her feet. "The right words." She barked something in a different language then raised her hand slowly and a small whirlwind of dirt slowly grew between her hand and the dirt. "But if you do not have your soul in it. You either lose control of it and it will whither to nothing. Or, you lose control and it destroys you." She closed her hand and almost instantly the whirlwind dropped down to nothing more but a small heap of sand. "Do you understand yet Remus?"

"I'm afraid not," he replied honestly.

"In simpler terms. In order to be a master of anything, you must first master your self. All aspects of yourself. If you have a weakness, you have to find a way to make it a source of strength."

"I know a witch back home that could have patched my leg up c_ompletely_ and I could be turning flips right now," Remus gave a slight smirk. "Perhaps your weakness is that you're too over-confident in your abilities."

"Ah, yes, this is true maybe," she replied. "I could fix your leg instantly to. But, we both have too many things to learn for me to have you wandering off so soon. Besides, wounds that heal slowly end up making one stronger." She tilted her head slightly and gazed at him a long moment. "Would you like to meet my students? They had interest in meeting you if you survived."

"Why is that, I wonder," Remus frowned.

"They are children, but they have knowledge of their ancestry's legends and tales. There are even tales of warriors that would change into wolves when the moon was round and high. To them, it would be an honour to meet someone that seemed to step out of the legends they were taught on the reservations." She smiled lightly. "Wait here, I will go get them."

_As if I have a choice_, Remus thought bitterly. If it had been any other day, he would have demanded that she fix him, since she knew she had the ability. However, being it was the day after a full moon, he knew he at least needed a few days' rest before even attempting to continue his journey.


	3. Chapter Three

Title: Morning Wolf  
Author: LupinLovesTonks  
Rated: PG-13  
Disclaimer: There was this one time, in my dreams, that I owned everything JK did. Unfortunately, that was just a dream. So are the millions of dollars I make on writing this fic.  
Summary: While on a journey of self-discovery, Remus J. Lupin finds himself in danger in America, then finds salvation in the most unlikely place.  
Pairing: RLOC

* * *

Chapter Three

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He felt for the pouch that he'd been keeping around his neck and opened it. Almost instantly the handle of his wand slowly eased out of the opening. He removed his wand and closed the pouch up again. Out of boredom, he started making the sand make different shapes and images that came to his mind. His leg was still throbbing with a dull pain. Part of him wanted to do a spell to go ahead and mend the bone and heal the scar, but he was by no means a skilled medi-wizard so he decided against it. With his luck he would make the bones explode instead of completely mend.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been making the little sand images, when he heard a small yap behind him followed almost instantly by the little wolf cub diving into them. With a slight smile, he conjured a little sand wolf somewhat bigger than the cub and watched in amusement, as the two play fought. Though, for some reason, it didn't surprise him that the little three-legged wolf cub effectively pinned the sand wolf to the ground several times.

"She is strong for a cub with such a disadvantage."

Remus startled slightly, making the sand wolf collapse, as his concentration was broken. Cookie yelped as her snout collided with the ground. In retaliation, Cookie grabbed his pants leg with her teeth and growled as she tugged on it.

Morning Wolf had returned. Four children, who looked in their early teens, were at her sides. The two boys were shirtless and dusty, orange dirt covered lads from their bare feet to the tops of their heads. The girls were neat and tidy except for the dark dirt stains on the knees of their jeans and hands.

"Excuse the state of the boys. For some reason they thought it would be fun to try and catch an unbroken horse, instead of practising their transfiguring," Morning Wolf chuckled.

The tallest boy grinned broadly. The other one started snickering. "Moon Wolf and I wanted to see if we could transfigure that mean one into a snake since he acts like one," the shorter boy managed.

Morning Wolf closed her eyes to fight a smile and took in a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. "Remus," she said gently. She placed her hands on the shoulders of the teller young boy with sandy blond hair. "This is Moon Wolf."

"And how did he get that name pray tell?" Remus asked, half expecting her to say that boy just went by a nickname.

"It is his tribe name because he's a werewolf," Morning Wolf replied smoothly. "He sees his name as a title of honour so no other name will suit him." She nudged the boy forward and he made gave a mock stumble as if she had shoved him, causing the two girls to giggle.

Moon Wolf straightened his poise with a debonair smile and strode over to Remus and held out his hand solidly. When Remus, apparently, had not responded quick enough the boy reached down and took his hand and gave it one firm shake. The boy's eyes were bright and playful, as if he'd never had to experience the heartache and troubles Remus had been forced to feel most of his own life. The boy also bore many scars on his skin, just as Remus did. Moon Wolf bowed and scurried back over to the other children.

"Moon Wolf is sixteen in a few weeks. He has been a werewolf for almost ten years," Morning Wolf explained. She stroked the boy's blond hair affectionately, as if he were a prized child and she was his proud adoring mother. "If there's anything you need to know about this place, ask him, he can show you every last shortcut and nook there is to find things." She gave the other boy a light nudge.

The smallish, dark haired Indian boy approached, but not as boldly as Moon Wolf had done. "This is Jeremy. He sometimes goes by Little Fish for now. But in a few months he will be asking the Great Ones if he has earned a new name. He's soon to be fourteen and loves to swim and get in trouble with his twin brother, Moon Wolf." Morning Wolf gave the boy an encouraging smile.

"Moon Wolf and I were born on the same day, just a couple of years apart," Jeremy stated, shaking Remus' hand. The boy leaned in so he could whisper in Remus' ear. "If Moon Wolf doesn't know something... Ask me, I know everything he doesn't know."

"Thank you, Jeremy," Remus muttered and the boy hopped back over to his fellow classmates, tripping over his own feet in the process.

"You're so stupid, Jeremy," one of the young girls groaned. "Calm down a little why don't you?"

Morning Wolf barked out a solitary word and the girl that had spoken quickly lowered her eyes and apologized. Once the softness returned to Morning Wolf's eyes she motioned for the girls to approach. The two girls, both Indian, walked in perfect step and hand-in-hand.

"Melissa," the one Morning Wolf had scolded said sweetly, giving a curtsey.

"Melinda," the other said quietly, also curtseying. "We are very pleased to have you at our reservation."

"We hope you enjoy it here," Melissa said with a plastered on smile.

Remus looked between the two girls. Though they looked almost identical, the twin named "Melinda" had a certain darkness to her eyes that "Melissa" did not. Melissa looked almost as carefree as Moon Wolf, but Melinda seemed to be burdened with a lifetime's worth of troubles. It was the kind of look Remus would have expected to see in a young werewolf's eyes.

"The twins are fifteen and are our resident herbal experts. Well, Melinda is, Melissa is just better at being able to make the herbs stay healthy and grow. Melinda is more versed in their uses and the more potion oriented qualities," Morning Wolf explained. "Melinda is also an expert on the behavioural patterns of wolves and werewolves, though she is not yet allowed to be outside with them on the full moon. With me, she oversees the making of the Wolfsbane potions for all the monthly visitors."

Remus noticed each of the children had something that resembled a wand in their hands. "I thought you didn't believe in 'silly wand waving' Morning Wolf?"

"We don't depend on them for spell casting," Jeremy huffed, but then cringed slightly and blushed. "Sir. For now we use them to learn how to center our magic. Next year we learn how to do the same spells without them."

"How did you become a werewolf," Melinda asked.

"Did it hurt?" Melissa echoed.

"I got bit when I was little," Remus commented. "And..." It suddenly occurred to him that he didn't remember when he actually got bitten. All he knew was what his parents had explained to him when he was old enough to understand what he was. "I was... too young to actually remember it. But my mum told me that I was hurt fairly bad." He looked at Morning Wolf. "Are all Americans so accepting or am I just lucky?"

"No," Morning Wolf replied. She lightly stroked Moon Wolf's hair. "Moon Wolf's father is actually a werewolf hunter. Him and his mother fled to the reservations after his hunts became more than just – hunts. He became obsessed and it polluted the man's mind. Moon Wolf prefers going by his tribe name for that reason. He doesn't like being reminded of the one his father gave him."

"So, we have... Melissa and Melinda," Remus said. "Jeremy. Moon Wolf. Morning Wolf. And how did you get your tribe name if you're not a werewolf?"

Morning Wolf said something to the children and they scampered off excitedly, completely ignoring his question. "And stay away from that gelding boys!"

"I think the boys are --"

"You don't have to tell me. I already know they're going right back to the horses," Morning interrupted. She took a seat beside him. Cookie bounced over and got into her lap. "I know my little 'school' is probably nothing like the Salem Witches' or where you came from, but my family has always been proud of its students."

"Moon Wolf," Remus said quietly. "He doesn't say much, does he? Seemed like a nice lad though."

"He is a very kindred spirit." She sighed softly. "Sometimes I wish I could find his father and kill him for what he put the boy through."

"Why is that?" Remus asked.

"The man and I have crossed paths times before," she replied shortly. "Each time I would prefer to forget. Very vile man, eyes clouded with such hatred that he hunts children and men and women that turn into wolves every full moon. So, he is not one of my favourite people."

Remus looked out across the flat lands and wondered if the ones in the hunting party had been Moon Wolf's father. And if it was, what kind of things was the man capable of? How far was he willing to go in order to wipe werewolves off the face of the Earth? Would the man find out who the people were and hunt them down on the other days of the week? Even though he had only been there for a short time and had only known Morning Wolf for an even shorter amount of time, she didn't strike him as being the kind of person to want to outright kill someone unless she had a very substantial reason.

"He made a habit of locking Moon Wolf in his basement on full moons with – with silver cuffs and chains" Morning Wolf continued quietly. "– And then he would lash him with a whip made of finely made straps of silver. He did it for about half a year before his mother found out. His father had been drinking and forgot to release the boy one night and his mother went into the basement to do the laundry and found the poor boy there. According to her he hasn't spoken since leaving the house."

"When did he get bitten?" Remus asked curiously.

"When he was very young, about six years old I think. His father had taken him along on one of his nasty hunts. They had just made a kill but the creature wasn't completely dead when his father told him to take its head. So, as he was about to grab some of its fur to hold onto it while cutting off its head, the wolf turned and bit him in the arm. Moon Wolf came here because none of the magical schools would accept him because of his condition. His mother asked me if I would. He has felt at peace with his condition since coming here. Like you, he was taught to hate what he had become."

"So, it was his own father's fault he was bitten," Remus sighed heavily. Remus felt fortunate that his parents had actually loved him even after he'd been bitten; he had no idea what he would have done if he had a father like Moon Wolf's. It was enough to make Remus feel sorry for the boy.

Morning Wolf looked at him and shook her head. "No. He does not want pity for his condition because he treasures it. He knows that the wolf did it as a defence and that it was not his own fault he was bitten."

Remus looked at her with confusion. "How do you know since he doesn't speak?"

"I have ways of knowing what are on people's minds and also because the wolf has thanked me several times. I can speak to them because they are my spirit animal. That is why wolves come to me when they are in need. That's why your wolf found me."

Remus blinked several times. "My wolf didn't find you, you found the wolf. And it probably wanted nothing more than to kill you. I was starting to come back around to myself when you found me... If you hadn't had that other wolf with you, telling it that you could help him. You would either be dead or a werewolf yourself."

A slow smile crept across Morning Wolf's lips as she got back to her feet. "I had no wolves with me that night. I will let you get some fresh air, feel free to walk about if you feel up to it. I will be back in a few minutes."

Remus was stunned to silence, looking at her perplexed. Then she just walked away with her hands in her back pockets.


	4. Chapter Four

Title: Morning Wolf  
Author: LupinLovesTonks  
Rated: PG-13  
Disclaimer: There was this one time, in my dreams, that I owned everything JK did. Unfortunately, that was just a dream. So are the millions of dollars I make on writing this fic.  
Summary: While on a journey of self-discovery, Remus J. Lupin finds himself in danger in America, and then finds salvation in the most unlikely place.  
Pairing: RLOC

* * *

Chapter Four

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Remus pursed his lips and took a seat on the top step that led out off the back porch. After a week and a half, his leg was actually getting to the point he could use it without causing himself to lose his breath from the pain. Of course, part of that may have been the pain-relievers they were feeding him every four hours. And then there was the fact that every night Withering Bear made him do some sort of strange exercises to keep his leg strong in the absence of being able to walk on it normally.

The children were regular welcome nuisances, constantly asking him about his life back home and his journey so far or asking him to show them some spell he did. Jeremy and Melissa often tried to lure him into a game of some kind, whereas Melinda regularly supplied him with books on Midwestern herbs and books about the Cherokee tribes and their legends. At first, Moon Wolf seemed to often go out of his way to ignore him. Melinda had explained that Moon Wolf often felt he was the "alpha werewolf" on the reservation, but since Remus' arrival, the lad was stepping down because he didn't want to cause any conflict.

There were times when Remus would watch the children interacting with each other and see what the girl had meant about Moon Wolf's alpha tendencies. He had made sure to assure Melinda that he had no plans to even attempt to take over the alpha role on the reservation, which then Moon Wolf had actually taken to being spotted by him again afterwards.

Today had been the first day Remus had left his cane in his room. Incidentally, it had also been the day he had started helping out with the reservation duties. His tasks had been light compared to the others, given he was still recuperating, but he had given out rather quickly and had to retreat to his step for rest. But, it was still very disappointing that he had barely lasted half an hour.

So, he had resolved to the punishment of sitting on the porch step, keeping Cookie out from under the feet of the children while they finished their morning chores.

The back door of the ranch house opened and fell closed again. Morning Wolf stepped up beside him, carrying a cane similar to his, only on its top was a carving of an eagle with its wings spread out, behind the head of a crouching wolf. "The children already make you take a time out?" she grinned.

"The girls started fussing because I was barely starting to loose my breath," Remus admitted. "So they made me come over here and keep Cookie occupied."

Morning Wolf poked out her bottom lip and narrowed her eyes while nodding her head side to side. She stopped after only a moment and shrugged. "They had a point. Cookie does tend to get under their feet and trip them up from time to time." She switched the cane to her other hand as she turned to face him. "Come with me? The Elders would probably enjoy your company. They always enjoy visitors." She nodded toward the pin closest to the house.

"I don't see why not," Remus shrugged, taking the hand Morning Wolf offered to help him to his feet.

On his first day outside on the ranch, he had seen the small group of wolves and had wondered why they were so close. Now he understood... They were old wolves. As he gazed at them from outside the pin, once they had reached them, and he wondered how he had missed that fact the first day he had seen them.

One of the more massive wolves yawned to reveal a muzzle filled of mostly toothless gums, with only a few front teeth and one canine. Another wolf was barely skin and bones, shaking as it tried to move across the pin into the shade of their mock den cave after getting some water. Two others were lying on their backs in the sun and appeared to be enjoying the warmth of the Midwestern sun.

"Hello," Morning Wolf greeted gently, as she opened the gate. She softly spoke a few words, in the language he now knew was Cherokee as she took a seat inside, close to the middle of the pin.

Almost instantly, all of the wolves came to gather around her and lick at her hands and face. Remus could tell they wanted to be as energetic as the younger wolves but that their old age prevented them from doing so. Even the shaky old wolf had come back from the den, followed by two other wolves to greet his caretaker.

"Okay darlings," she said. "We will have a guest today. His name is Remus Lupin. Would you like to meet him darlings?" For a moment, Remus could have sworn the wolves actually stopped paying attention to Morning Wolf to look at him.

Remus shook his head. "That's okay I don't have to..."

"Nonsense," Morning Wolf laughed as the shaky wolf nudged her chin with his nose. "Come in, they would like to meet you. Just remember to shut the gate behind you."

Remus eyed the wolves for a moment, and then decided that they could do him no real harm in their old age. He eased the gate door open and walked into the pin. Almost instantly, Remus noticed the inside of the pin had been magically enhanced so that the wolves had a nice amount of space to roam around. Even the den was bigger, big enough to house all the elderly wolves, and then more, comfortably.

Morning Wolf patted the ground beside her as she smiled up at Remus. Remus slowly walked over and joined her. Several of the wolves moved just enough for him to join her and take a seat. The wolves began to slowly back away and the old, thinning, shaky wolf approached him. The old wolf looked at him, as if trying to look past his mind and body and straight to his soul.

Remus was uncertain as to why, but he found himself refusing to break eye contact with the elderly wolf. After about two minutes of keeping steady eye contact with the wolf, the wolf bowed it's head slightly and walked back to his den. A silence passed, in which Remus looked over at Morning Wolf questioningly. Her eyes were lowered to the ground.

The old wolf slowly made his way back out of the den, carrying some something in his mouth. Morning Wolf instantly looked up at him and smiled. It seemed all attention was on him and the old wolf as it approached him again and dropped the object into Remus' lap. With a slightly confused expression, Remus looked down at the object and lifted it up.

It was a soft red ball that had several small gaps in the squishy material from where, apparently, the wolves had played with it so often. Almost instantly the other wolves started yelping eagerly, the old wolf lie down beside Remus and gave an exhausted sigh. Remus looked at Morning Wolf again, she was beaming with pride.

"Well, throw it," she said gently. "The High Elder accepted you into the pack. Now they want you to play with them."

With a half smile, Remus tossed the red ball as far as he could. The rest of the pack raced after the ball and knocked it back and forth between each other as if they were playing a wolf version of soccer. He rested his hand on top of the High Elder's head and gave it a slight rub. Unlike the thin, rough, fur of a dog, the old wolf's coat was soft and thick.

"I know how you feel Old Man," Remus murmured, looking down at the wolf and saw that it seemed to be watching the slightly younger wolves frolic and play with a yearning in its old eyes. He looked at Morning Wolf. "So why is he a 'High Elder'?"

"It's not a wolf title, as you know, but it is a title of respect here, because he is the oldest and the wisest on the reservation. When he was a much younger wolf, I found him on the side of the road barely alive. We did our best to mend the bones in his hip and leg but he's always been shaky on it since. He prefers it here anyway. He has said many times if he had the choice between staying here where he is loved and cared for, or roaming in the forests where people hunt for his head and skin, he would much rather be here."

Remus looked down at the old wolf. He was slowly becoming painstakingly aware that every being on the ranch, including the wolves, came with a story. It seemed, Remus alone had no story of his own, just a story of his friends that were no longer in his life because of an evil so great it took a child to defeat it.

His eyes drifted to Morning Wolf, she was watching the wolves play with the red ball, a big smile of joy on her face. Of all the stories that were to be had on the ranch, hers was the only one he thought he might have true interest in hearing. What had driven her to have a place like this? What made her reach her heart out to the children of the full moon? Why did she speak to the regular wolves as if they were her children and not four legged creatures that once were part of the wild?

A playful yap drew Remus out of his thoughts, because it had apparently brought Morning Wolf's attention his way. Cookie was swatting under the gate of the pin, trying to get inside to play with the older wolves. Morning Wolf waved her hand slightly and the gate opened just enough to let the cub inside, then it instantly closed back. The cub instantly darted in between all the bigger wolves and zipped out from underneath their legs with the ball in her mouth. She stood proudly for a moment, like an almost regal, three-legged statue, taunting her elders who were slowly taking notice she had the ball.

The little cub gave a muffled yap and bounced around a few moments before running with the ball still firmly in her mouth. The older wolves mimicked her yap and chased after her eagerly. Morning Wolf gave a tingling laughter and clapped her hands at the sight.

"You're missing it Remus," she laughed. "Look at them! Do you want to join them old man?"

"No," Remus replied with a slight chuckle as Cookie ran past them and into the den. A few seconds later the pack of wolves followed her path. "I'm content right here."

"Not you," Morning Wolf said. She peaked over his lap to the High Elder. "Reeemus, don't you want to play as well?"

Remus looked down at the old wolf. It lifted its head and for a moment he could have sworn the old wolf shook its head. The old wolf lay his head in Remus' lap and sighed heavily as Cookie darted out of the den, with the ball still secured in her mouth. Morning Wolf leaned over and stroked the wolf's large head affectionately.

"He was the first wolf I named, I had just came here and Withering Bear wanted me to give him a name so I gave him the only name I felt fitted a wolf and that my grandfather could easily pronounce. I wanted to name him Romulus because, at the time, I thought wolves were the roots of all evil, but Withering Bear said he would never remember it. So, I begrudgingly gave him the name of the unfortunate, kind hearted, twin that was murdered by his brother. Now I am glad I gave him that name, he has always been a very kind hearted wolf."

The pack of older wolves emerged from the den one behind the other, before huddling together and continued chasing Cookie. Cookie, by this time, was a good distance away and had turned around to run back toward the pack of wolves. The cub raced past the charging pack and ran straight to Morning Wolf, leaping into her lap and dropping the red ball between her and Remus.

Within seconds, the pack of wolves were swarming all over Remus and Morning Wolf, nudging them affectionately with their noses and giving them small licks on the face. Morning Wolf squealed with delight at the onslaught, Remus just closed his eyes tightly and tried to imagine they were just large dogs. He felt a warm tongue lick his hand and he looked down to see the High Elder was the one nudging his hand and giving it a lick. Remus rubbed the old wolf's nose.

_Don't be afraid_.

Remus opened his eyes and froze. The wolves hurried off to play with the red ball again. "Did you hear that?" Remus asked quietly.

Morning Wolf looked at him, her dark eyes were still dancing with laughter. "Hear what?" she asked.

The voice had obviously been a man's voice, so Remus knew it hadn't been Morning Wolf that had instructed him not to be afraid. It had sounded like an older gentleman's voice, from right next to him. But the only thing around him that was male was the old wolf that was resting contentedly beside him.

"Perhaps the wolves were speaking to you," Morning Wolf suggested. "The connection isn't as strong as it would be at full moon, but it will start getting strong in the next two weeks…" She stopped and chuckled slightly. "Then again you already know this." Her eyes softened as she looked at him. "Who is Lily? And James?"

The question had come so unexpectedly that Remus just looked at her in stunned silence for the space of ten seconds. At first he didn't know what to say, so he stammered for words, then finally he rested on the only word he could use to describe his Lily and James. "Friends," he said quietly. "Well, more like family actually."

He opened his mouth to say more but Morning Wolf shook her head slightly. "Not right now. That is all I needed to know." She gazed out toward the playing wolves. "And Peter and Sirius were also friends?"

"Yes."

The woman physically shivered. "I never did like rats," she muttered, as if unaware that he could hear her. "Nasty and treacherous creatures…"

Remus raised an eyebrow. Peter had never been nasty or treacherous, to his knowledge. It had been Sirius that had betrayed them all and was currently locked away in Azkaban for murdering Peter. _And leading Voldemort to Lily and James_, he added mentally.

Morning Wolf climbed to her feet and offered him a helping hand to stand.

"How did you know about all of them?" Remus asked.

"You mentioned them while you were still out with the fever. Sometimes you speak of them in your sleep as well. I don't think your mind accepts what you've been told. And, I also think you need to let your wolf know, next full moon, what happened to his friends. He worries about them." She knelt down and gave the High Elder a kiss on his nose before he walked back to the coolness of the den. "He likes you and thinks you show lots of promise."

"For what?"

Morning Wolf shrugged and collected Cookie into her arms.

Remus could feel his heart beginning to slow down from where the wolves had scared him. He took one last look at the pack that was playing with the red ball and sighed heavily. By being a werewolf, he knew he would never be able to truly care for the playful pack. The monster had already instilled the fear deep within his mortal mind and soul.

Somewhere in the back of his mind it was dark and he saw bright red eyes emerge from the darkness of the trees. The image of a wolf was slowly coming from the darkness, its teeth bared and looking at him hungrily. Just as the beast moved to leap out at him, Remus pulled himself back to reality.

He looked over at Morning Wolf, she had a very pained look in her eyes as she gazed at him. She looked at the wolves again and back at him. "They're not like that and neither is yours," she whispered and walked to the gate.


	5. Chapter Five

Title: Morning Wolf  
Author: LupinLovesTonks  
Rated: PG-13  
Disclaimer: There was this one time, in my dreams, that I owned everything JK did. Unfortunately, that was just a dream. So are the millions of dollars I make on writing this fic.  
Summary: While on a journey of self-discovery, Remus J. Lupin finds himself in danger in America, and then finds salvation in the most unlikely place. Newly Revised and Updated  
Pairing: RLOC

* * *

Chapter Five

* * *

"Let's see… I think about five cups of aconite should suffice," Morning Wolf was instructing. She looked at Remus and looked back at the cauldron simmering over an open fire. "Make that seven cups. I just remembered the Paisley's called last week."

Melinda scooped up a large amount of dried dark-blue flowers and carefully measured out seven heaping cups, which she poured into a cloth bag. The girl then took them to Morning Wolf and put the bag her hands, instead of pouring them directly into the cauldron. Morning Wolf knelt down to Melinda's level and the two gently whispered into the flowers in Cherokee.

"What are they doing?" Remus whispered to Melissa, who was sitting beside him, with the other two students. They were watching Morning Wolf and Melinda brew a strange and slightly complex potion, what it was called, Remus didn't know as of yet.

"They're blessing the aconite. Not many witches or wizards would do that," Melissa supplied quietly. "They'd just go by the paper and not bother with asking for the Spirits to bless it."

As far as Remus knew, asking blessing over the herbs and such were not a requirement of Hogwarts' potion making. The only time a blessing, offering, or payment was required was if required herbs were guarded by a magical being and therefore could not be picked without the creature's consent.

Morning Wolf slowly poured the flowers into the cauldron while Melinda stirred and chanted barely loud enough to hear. The potion was turning a bright green colour. Morning Wolf reached into a pouch at her hip and pulled out a handful of a powdered herb. She called out a few words and threw the herbs into the cauldron. There was a slight flash and steam began to roll off the surface. Between the curls of steam, Remus could see the potion was now glowing a bright purple.

Morning Wolf and Melinda studied the potion with interest then knelt down and muttered a prayer in front of the cauldron. Then both of them picked up a heavy lid and placed it on top of the cauldron.

"Now, it just has to simmer for a few hours," Morning Wolf said brightly, as she helped Melinda back to her feet. "Thank you for helping me Melinda."

"Can we go practice now, Morning Wolf?" Jeremy asked. "I need to work on the wordlessness a little. Remus has been helping me though so don't worry. I haven't broken anything for nearly a week because of it."

The woman looked surprised a moment then gave Remus a slight smile. "Yes, you all may go back to your regular practicing."

After the children had scampered away to go about their business, Morning Wolf strolled over to Remus and smiled down at him. Remus returned the smile and innocently smirked, "What?"

"If you are not careful, the children will become too fond of you and will not let you leave," Morning Wolf teased. "The wolves are jealous that the children get all your attention. They want some too."

Remus looked out at the vast field that was home to most of the wolves, still in their youthful prime. As if on cue, a few of the wolves gazed out of the fence at him. He simply shrugged. "I'm not a very wolfish person. What's that you're brewing anyway?"

"Remember when you first woke up I mentioned a potion that, if I hadn't forced it down your throat, the monthly change would have killed you?" She gave him a slight smile as she turned to walk away. As she reached one of the wolf pins, she called back to him, "You get to take it again, only this time with your own consent and not forced down your throat."

Remus frowned slightly. Three weeks had already passed since his being at the reservation. Perhaps it was the fact she still was not able to properly move about that made it seem like he should have already been through four full moons. But, not that he could complain, each day he was learning something new. Though he could not really understand Morning Wolf's obsession with getting him to take time with the wolves everyday, he would make himself sit in one of the three fenced in areas each day and watch the wolves just to keep her mouth shut about it.

It was rather annoying, yes, but he didn't want there to be any trouble. But, the wolves didn't bother him so he didn't bother them. Or, at least, that was his reasoning because they were wild animals. Even the elderly wolves were wild, he saw it in their eyes -- the look in their eyes that longed for the forest but didn't want to leave the comfort and protection of the reservation. So, far, all his visits with the wolves had done was prove to him why he wanted to keep his own wolf nudged away at all costs.

Remus put his hand on his stomach as he felt an uncomfortable rolling in his stomach. He squeezed his eyes shut as a hissing voice in the back of his mind softly whispered, "_Exquisite_." Several images flashed through his mind, images that made no sense, they glowed like an old classic movie with too vibrant colours. Then one stopped and played itself out in his mind:

_He looked down at his hands and saw them covered in blood. All around him there were men and women slowly changing into human forms, blood dripping from the fangs that were slowly fading away._

_As the moon was waning, a massive white wolf ran through them all to stand beside a woman in shimmering white. The woman seemed to be surrounded by a light that radiated from deep within her own body. "They would have killed you, my children," an echoing voice said. "You did well to protect yourselves and your brothers and sisters from them."_

Remus gasped loudly and grabbed his head as a sharp pain sheered through it as he opened his eyes. He could feel tears stinging the back of his eyes as he fell onto the ground howling in pain. He heard several voices calling his name. As the pain began to subside, he dropped his hands from his head and looked up at the faces gazing down at him. They were reaching out to pick him up…

"Don't touch him!" a male voice rang out strongly. The faces of the children disappeared from over him and the shadow of the hunched over Withering Bear, supported on his walking cane, came over him. The old man gazed down at him through narrowed eyes. He lowered the top of his tall walking cane over Remus to the point he could see the fine details of the bear carved on its top. The fierce looking creature seemed to be trying to intimidate something inside of him. Withering Bear tapped Remus' forehead with the carved bear firmly. "Back where you belong wolf," he spat. "Not time yet!"

Remus felt as if something has rushed out of his mind and body with the firm order. Withering Bear studied his face for a long moment then gave a slight whistle and nodded down at him. Almost instantly, the children gathered back over Remus' line of vision and pulled him to his feet. Moon Wolf gazed up at Remus with concern in his eyes, as he thrust his walking staff into his hands.

"I'm alright," Remus offered, sounding much weaker than he had intended. Withering Bear was already giving orders to the children in Cherokee. Moon Wolf frowned at Remus. "I said I was alright," Remus reassured again. The boy continued to frown but nodded slightly with understanding.

The twins approached Remus and took either of his hands.

"We were told to take you to lay down," Melissa explained.

"And to take down all the herbs on the ceiling in your room that are used to see prophesies," Melinda finished.

The moment the two girls laid him on his bedding, Remus felt his eyes roll back in his head and he was asleep.

888

He wasn't entirely sure what had happened. But all Remus knew was that, when he woke up from the nap they had forced upon him, several of the herbs that had been hanging from his ceiling were gone. In their place were fresher looking versions of the purple flowers they had used in the potion. The room was filled with the sharp scents of the dark blue flowers, white sage, and lavender.

His head felt a little fuzzy from the dream he'd been having before he had awoken.

_The white clad woman from the images that had made him be lain down had, as before, been surrounded by the light. He had approached her and knelt at her feet. Instantly the white light had faded and he looked up to see an Indian woman with eagle feathers bound in the numerous braids that coiled from her head like miniature ropes. Her eyes were so pale that it had seemed, at first, that she had no irises. She hadn't had normal teeth, instead she had teethed much like the ones he had seen in the younger wolves on the reservation. _

_The nails on her fingers were long and thick like the claws of a wolf as well. And the dress he'd thought was white was actually made of the fur of a gray wolf. Upon her neck there was a leather thong that bore an eagle feather and wolf paw on either side of the feather. Deep black tattoos emblazoned her arms, face, legs, and hands._

_She had looked fierce but delicate in all the same moment._

"_You do not know me, but you dare to bow before me wolf?" she had asked, her voice thick and strong. "How do expect my love when you hate everything I rule? I am wisdom, I am immortality. I am the grace of the forests; I am the fierce protector of the same. You cannot deny my children and expect my love."_

"_Tell me who you are my lady and who your children are and I will love them," Remus had whispered._

_The woman had then reached out to him with her clawed fingers and barely touched them to his cheeks and made him stand on his feet. She pale eyes softened slightly and she embraced him. "I am your mother, you are my child." She ended the embrace and pointed over his shoulder. "And they are your brothers and sisters. You are all my children." _

_He had then turned to see several people -- men, women, and children -- standing dutifully behind him, gazing at the woman with adoration. Each of the people had a wolf seated at their feet -- grey wolves, arctic wolves, timber wolves, and others -- as if it were guarding the person beside them. Some of the adults had wolves that were barely older than cubs, while some of the children had wolves that stood taller than their heads._

Remus stretched and yawned. He was stunned to see the image of the same woman from his dream gazing at him from over the boarded up fireplace. If his memory served him correctly, that portrait had not been there when he'd lain down or the night prior. In fact, he knew that previously a much larger portrait of an Indian Chief had been there. For one, he and the Chief had had an argument or two about Morning Wolf. Secondly, there was a noticeable dust ring from where the bigger one had been removed.

Slowly, Remus pulled himself up to his feet and walked across to the picture. The image was stationary but looked as if at any moment the trees in the background would sway in a breeze, that the numerous wolves at her ankles would run wild and free, or that the woman herself would reach from the picture and touch him. Even the full moon that was raised above the background trees looked ready to give a bright white glow to any darkened room.

His eyes found a little golden plate on the bottom of the frame: _Complete Manifestation of The Wolf Maiden by Wolf-Prints-in-Snow; circa 1961_.

"It was done by mother shortly after I was born," a voice said gently. Remus turned to see Morning Wolf standing in the doorway. "I thought she would bring you comfort since your dreams confuse you."

For a moment Remus thought to ask how she knew about his dreams but stopped himself when he say the small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Where I'm from it's not considered polite to mind-read without permission."

Morning Wolf shrugged. "Then stop thinking so loudly," she said plaintively, stepping away from the doorway. "I don't know if what you're seeing is prophecies or if they are just The Wolf Maiden trying to reach your mind."

"What is the Wolf Maiden?" he asked. "She looks like a warrior but she also looks like something from a pleasant dream…"

Remus stood there gazing at the fierce feminine figure in front of him. He felt Morning Wolf place a hand on his shoulder, he looked at her again.

"She is the Wolf Goddess, the one that they seek to follow. Wolves and werewolves alike see her as their Holy Mother. They are at her command. If she tells them to kill, they kill without asking questions. But she would never ask them to kill unless she felt there was a threat." Her hand slowly trailed down his arms and touched the tip of his fingers in an almost affectionate manner.

"The Wolf Maiden loves all wolves," she said quietly. "Even the ones that don't love themselves, as long as they seek Her. But wolves that kill for pleasure are seen as impure to Her so She forsakes them, makes them Her slaves. In werewolves, their illness becomes their obsession." With that, the woman removed her hand and walked back to the door. "Remember, Remus, it's not a bad thing to turn into a wolf once a month, as long as your wolf seeks his Goddess." She disappeared from the doorway.

Remus snorted slightly. It was beginning to annoy him that she tended to walk away after sharing "pearls of wisdom."

888

Obscure and non-existent.

That was two words Remus could use to describe information about the so-called Wolf Maiden. Since being told the small tid-bits of knowledge, earlier that day, Remus had been pouring over any and every book he could find in the house to find out more. He had already been through half the books in Morning Wolf's little library and had found nothing. He was at the point of almost giving up when a young voice from behind him said:

"If you just ask we could supply you all the information you need." He turned and saw Melinda standing in the doorway, an old leather-bound book in her arms. She slowly approached him and offered the book to him. Once he had it in his hands, the girl gazed at him. "This is the only book published that mentions Her. Only the wolves and the Wolf Maidens are aloud to know of Her Grace."

Remus looked down at the worn cover, _The Wolf Maiden -- The Legend of a Goddess _by Mu D. Moot. He looked at Melinda and gave the child a warm smile. "Thank you but I was actually trying to find out more about that potion I'm taking later," Remus lied.

Melinda studied him for a moment. "No you weren't. Because at least half of the books you looked at had information on it." She looked down at her feet. "Are going to be leaving?"

"Someday soon, I hope… Hopefully as soon as my leg is all healed. Why?" Remus opened the book in his hands and studied the golden writing on the white pages.

Melinda frowned. "Because they don't like you where you're from… We do. They won't understand you the same way we do… Besides, Moon Wolf thinks you and Morning Wolf would make a great pseudo-mum and dad to us all."

Remus tore his eyes away from the golden text of the book. Melinda jumped slightly when his gazed locked onto her. Without another word the girl scurried from the room. Remus looked down to the golden text again. The letters seemed to glow on the pristine pages, as if it had never been read or touched by human hands before.

"In the beginning," Remus read quietly. "When the world was young and new, The Great Spirit bade the lesser gods and goddesses to watch over Creation. The Great Spirit also bade them to choose a form which to speak to the men and women and children which resided on the surface of the Earth Mother…"


End file.
